1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a milking device for milking a dairy animal, comprising at least one teat cup, wherein the teat cup comprises a cup casing with a flexible cup liner around a teat space, and a single pulsation space and a milk line, a milking vacuum pump connected to the milk line, for providing a milking vacuum, a pulsator connected to the pulsation space, for providing a controllable air pressure in the pulsation space, and a control device which is configured to control at least the pulsator during at least a milking action.
2. Description of the Related Art
Milking devices, in particular automatic milking devices, are generally known in the state of the art. The milking vacuum is used here to extract milk from the teat, while the pulsator ensures that the cup liner shuts off in a pulsating manner the teat space, which receives the teat, from the milking vacuum. In this case, pressure is advantageously exerted on the teat in order to press blood and other tissue fluid from the teat and to prevent damming.
With automatic milking devices, the milking vacuum is in principle maintained after the milking action has been ended, at any rate at least for some time after the milking action has been ended. There is thus a chance for dirt or other contaminants to be sucked into the milk line. In the state of the art, it is known to incorporate in the milk line, before the milk tank, at least before the milk jar, a valve which shuts off the milk line after the milking action has been ended. However, it is found that such a device does not always work in a reliable manner in practice. There is still a great chance of dirt being sucked in. Moreover, there is a fair chance of failures in the operation of the valve.